Evidence for Heating of Neutron Stars by Magnetic-Field Decay
Abstract
We show the existence of a strong trend between neutron star (NS) surface temperature and the dipolar component of the magnetic field extending through three orders of field magnitude, a range that includes magnetars, radio-quiet isolated neutron stars, and many ordinary radio pulsars. We suggest that this trend can be explained by the decay of currents in the crust over a time scale of ∼106yr. We estimate the minimum temperature that a NS with a given magnetic field can reach in this interpretation.
- Publication:
-
Physical Review Letters
- Pub Date:
- February 2007
- DOI:
- 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.071101
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/0607583
- Bibcode:
- 2007PhRvL..98g1101P
- Keywords:
-
- 97.60.Jd;
- 44.40.+a;
- 95.85.Sz;
- Neutron stars;
- Thermal radiation;
- Gravitational radiation magnetic fields and other observations;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 4 pages, 1 figures, version accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. Lett